Eegah (1962)

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I have a confession. Since 1993, I have seen one of the worst films ever made at least two dozen times, and yet I've only seen it twice.

Decades ago, I sat down to the "Mystery Science Theater 3000" riff of "Eegah." I was laughing so hard, I couldn't catch my breath, and had to watch it again right away for all the lines I missed. I've watched that episode constantly since then, it's like comfort television, and eventually I could say the lines along with Joel and the Bots, with "watch out for snakes!" eventually entering the series' canon. I did see the film sans riffing a few years ago, but when The Film Detective released a limited edition Blu-ray with a crisp print of the film, interviews with Arch Hall, Jr. and Joel Hodgson, AND the MST3K episode, I knew I had to grab it. Watching the original film today...yeah, it's still pretty awful...

Roxy (Marilyn Manning) lives in a Palm Springs country club with her "adventure book" writing dad (director/writer Arch Hall, Sr.). She's dating Tom (Arch Hall, Jr.), and almost runs over a giant caveman (eventually named Eegah) played by Richard Kiel in one of his first roles. Roxy's dad goes to investigate the giant's desert whereabouts, is captured, and Roxy and Tom also head into the desert to look for the missing link and the missing dad.

Everything you've heard is true. The post-production sound and film editing are a tornado of ineptitude. While I was laughing through the film because I have the MST3K episode memorized, I was also laughing at the weird dubbing, odd soundtrack, and non-acting. Arch Hall, Jr. belts out a few songs that aren't half as bad as the collective performances and terrible screenplay. It's fun to see how much was edited out of the film to fit the time parameters of the MST3K series, Eegah's pawing of Roxy is pretty uncomfortable. There are a few other cut scenes here and there, all of which could have been left in and riffed if not for time constraints.

Arch Hall, Jr. seems to have a sense of humor about the film these days. He became a professional airline pilot, and looks back at all this with a certain fondness, especially when you consider that his father co-wrote and directed the film. "Eegah" isn't as bad as "Ax 'Em," "Can't Stop the Music," or "Asylum of Terror," but it is pretty bad, and entertaining.

Stats:
(1962) 92 min. (*) out of five stars
-Directed by Arch Hall Sr.
-Screenplay by Bob Wehling, Original Story by Arch Hall Sr.
-Cast: Marilyn Manning, Arch Hall Jr., Arch Hall Sr., Richard Kiel, Clay Stearns, Bob Davis, Deke Richards, Ron Shane, Addalyn Pollitt, Lloyd Williams, Ray Dennis Steckler, Bill Rice, Carolyn Brandt
(Not Rated)- contains physical violence, mild gun violence, and mild gore